Kevin Kilbane says he isn’t entirely sure why Aston Villa forward Scott Hogan didn’t take up the offer of playing for the Republic of Ireland first time round - claiming it makes one look uncertain about representing the nation.

Hogan, 25, declared for Ireland this week, though Martin O’Neill initially came calling a year ago or more.

Kilbane, who has 110 caps for the Emerald Isle, questioned why the striker didn’t accept the call up.

“I’m still a bit unsure as to why Hogan wouldn’t have made the decision to play for Ireland when the first contact was made a year or 18 months ago, whenever it may have been,” Kilbane wrote in his blog for BoyleSports .

“It makes you feel very uneasy when a player seems to wait on the call up from England before actually committing to us.

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“An England call up looks unlikely to happen now for Hogan given that he’s 25 so it looks like he’s decided to come on board and play for Martin O’Neill.

“I don’t think it’s O’Neill’s job to go chasing players, he’s got enough on his plate trying to get the side prepared for the games. He’s well within his rights to go and ask the player but if he doesn’t come and play for us there and then, that’s it as far as I’m concerned.

“I think he’s got a lot to do with the Irish public to convince them that he’s fully committed to us and to prove that he’s prepared to go the extra yard to play for us.

“Hogan has got to put that extra yardage in going forward, but once he puts the green shirt on he’ll get proper support from the fans, that much is a given. They will back the players to the hilt.”